23rd Annual Student Research Conference
The Effects of Three Respiration Rates on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Variability
Amanda M. Ward*, Jordan S. Fuller, Austin Lang, and Jacob Tucker
Dr. Fred Shaffer, Faculty Mentor
A within-subjects study compared the effects of breathing at 3, 6, and 12 breaths per minute (BPM) on blood pressure and heart rate variability (HRV). Twenty-one undergraduates, 18 to 23 years of age, participated. Participants received four consecutive weekly 29-minute sessions of HRV training at a 1:2 inhalation-to-exhalation ratio with instructions to breathe abdominally from 5 to 7 BPM. Then, they were randomly assigned to one of six orders of 10 minutes of 12-BPM, 6-BPM, and 3-BPM breathing at a 1:2 inhalation-to-exhalation ratio using a pacer display with 5-minute buffer periods. 6-BPM produced lower systolic pressure than 12-BPM. There were no significant diastolic effects. SDRR was higher for 6-BPM and 3-BPM than for 12-BPM; but 6-BPM produced comparable SDRR values to 3-BPM. HR Max HR Min was higher for 6-BPM and 3-BPM than for 12-BPM. These findings support 6-BPM to reduce systolic pressure and increase HRV.
Keywords: Breathing Rates, Heart Rate Variability, Blood pressure
Topic(s):Psychology
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 29-2
Location: MG 1000
Time: 9:45